The origin of tea traditions of England is obliged to one of the most beautiful women in the middle of XVII century. In 1662 Charles II married princess Catherine of Braganza from Portugal. The Portuguese had been the first Europeans that encountered tea, controlled the trade routes from Asia and drank this wonderful beverage. Chest with tea leaves, among other treasures was in bride’s dowry. According to tradition, the new queen’s passion for tea was appreciated in court, and soon became the most popular drink in the chambers of Buckingham Palace. Inventive British replaced the eastern bowls for cups and saucers and used tea spoons for sugar that also entered into vogue in the XVII century.

The British aristocracy recognized only the tea from the youngest and most succulent of the upper leaves, which are called "Orange Pekoe". "Orange" comes from the Dutch word meaning "gold, royal, belonging to the Dutch royal House of Orange-Nassau," and "Pekoe" - from the Chinese word "leaf". Because The Dutch East India Company played a central role in introducing tea to Europe, perhaps, they could have marketed the tea as "Orange" to propose a royal warrant. However, in modern classification of common tea leaf grades "Orange Pekoe" stands for "royal leaf".

The real revolution in the tea business actually began in 1837 with the ascension to the throne of the young Queen Victoria. China was unable to meet the increased demand in Europe and began to supply the market with product of insufficient quality. At the time, relations between Great Britain and China had escalated. In response to the British sanctions, China has imposed an embargo on trade with Britain. But the decisive Queen Victoria signed a decree of establishing the state tea company in the British colony - the North Indian province of Assam. Mayor of the Royal Guard, Robert Bruce and his brother Charles crossed breeded seeds smuggled out of China with local tea trees. Thus was launched a completely new variety with bright color and a strong astringent taste. In memory of those events, one of the types of English tea from Assam is named "Victorian".

By the middle of the XIX century, Britain became the largest tea supplier, capable of providing not only the needs of the empire, but also neighboring countries. The Assam black tea from the Indian colony of Great Britain, Russians merchants carried by caravans and sold in the capital's shops, "colonial goods" under the name "Indian tea". Taste of Assam for Russians still is the most familiar and traditional.

In XX century, the British voluntarily renounced the former "tea" colonies and focused the effort on improving the quality of tea blends. This act has reflected on a nation-wide British love for tea. Continuing the Victorian tradition, modern tea masters - tea testers - offer demanding connoisseurs of tea a wide variety of traditional and exotic flavors. English tea has long gone beyond the United Kingdom, and in many countries today, tea lovers enjoy impeccable taste, intelligence and respect for people.

Loose tea merchants ESP Emporium are encouraging tea lovers to follow them on Twitter, by offering a five dollar incentive for users who sign up to receive their "tweets". The limited time promotion requires users to simply become a follower (http://twitter.com/ESPemporium), then claim their five dollar reward by visiting ESPemporium.com and entering their Twitter username. Followers will also be kept up to date on 'what's happening at ESPemporium, including new product offerings, prices and promotions.

Chicago, IL (Vocus/PRWEB ) January 26, 2010 -- ESP Emporium, purveyors of specialty and loose leaf teas, recently announced a limited time promotion which promises customers a $5 online discount towards their next purchase, as an incentive for following them on popular social media site Twitter.

“We are very passionate about providing not only delicious, high quality teas, but also information and observations that our customers might find interesting and useful”, said Steve Popec, co-owner of ESP Emporium. “Having a true appreciation for tea as a beverage as well as an experience, we are always looking for ways to share our love of the different types and flavors of tea that we sell. Given how easy Twitter makes it to keep up with other peoples’ insights, we felt that this was a terrific way to engage our customers by sharing our expertise while making it very simple for them to contact us directly”.“One of the beautiful things about tea is that in many ways it is a 'blending' of both taste and culture” said Popec. "Being able to share our thoughts on tea with our customers and hear their feedback about the different types of tea we sell, helps us to make sure that their experience is unique and fulfilling”.

As well as updates and insights, customers who follow ESP Emporium on Twitter will also have access to random rewards such as incentives, promotions and discounts towards future tea purchases.

For more information about this announcement, please visit www.ESPemporium.com, or contact Steve Popec at 1-866-810-1818